Martin County throttles Betsy Layne, falls to Pikeville in 15th Region All ‘A’ championship

January 24, 2024

Martin County throttles Betsy Layne, falls to Pikeville in 15th Region All ‘A’ championship

Brayden McKenzie throws down a slam dunk Thursday in Martin County’s 94-72 win over Betsy Layne in the 15th Region All “A” semifinals at Appalachian Wireless Arena. McKenzie finished with 28 points and was named Community Trust Bank Player of the Game. *(Citizen photo by Boo Newsome)*

BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PIKEVILLE — The quest for back-to-back 15th Region All “A” titles concluded Sunday for Martin County in a 73-62 loss to Pikeville in the championship game at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville. On their way to the finals, the Cardinals throttled Betsy Layne 94-72 in the semifinals Thursday.

Here is a recap of both games.

MC 94, BL 72

Martin County avenged an earlier season loss by defeating the Betsy Layne Bobcats 94-72 Thursday in the All “A” semifinal game. The Bobcats had beaten the Cardinals at home 78-70 in December.

The Cardinals fell behind 5-0 early in the first quarter. A lob from Peyton Davis on an out-of-bounds play to Brayden McKenzie for a slam dunk sparked a 9-0 run to put the Cards up 9-5. Jacob Sturgell drove the lane at the 3:57 mark, scored and was fouled. The senior knocked down the free throw to stretch Martin County’s lead to 12-6.

Davis drained a deep 3-pointer for his fifth point to make it 15-7 with 1:46 left in the quarter. Betsy Layne’s Andrew Kidd answered with 1:35 showing on the clock to narrow the gap to 15-9.

Martin County’s relentless pressure defense forced Betsy Layne into six first-quarter turnovers.

McKenzie wasted no time sinking a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to put the Cards up 18-9. Kidd responded for the Bobcats to close the gap to 18-11.

Luke Hale picked up the old-fashioned three-point play with 5:58 remaining in the second quarter to put the Cards up 23-13.

Despite both teams trading baskets and each scoring 22 points in the second quarter, the Cardinals maintained a 37-31 lead when the horn sounded to end the half.

The Bobcats hit 10 of 15 free throws in the third quarter, but that did not stop the Cardinals from extending their lead 62-49 behind 11 points by Hale and 10 by McKenzie.

With a 65-49 lead and 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hale picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the game. McKenzie was up to the task, scoring 13 of Martin County’s 32 points in the frame.

Martin County coach Jason James’ crew shot 61% from the field and 83% from the free-throw line.

“I was really pleased with how we shared the basketball,” Coach James said after the win. “We had four kids in double figures.”

McKenzie led Martin County with 28 points and was named Community Trust Bank Player of the Game. Hale followed with 22 points, Sturgell scored 17 and Davis added 12. Rounding out the scoring column, Devan Maynard scored six points, Bryson Dials five and Blake Maynard four.

Sturgell pulled down seven boards, McKenzie and D. Maynard grabbed six apiece, Dials and Hale three each, and Blake Maynard one.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

BL (8-7)……..9 22 18 23 – 72

MC (10-7)….15 22 25 32 – 94

Scoring:

Martin County (94) – Luke Hale 5(3) 3-3 22; Brayden McKenzie 9(3) 1-1 28; Peyton Davis 3(2) 0-0 12; Jacob Sturgell 7 3-4 17; Devan Maynard 3 0-0 6; Braxton Dials 2 1-2 5; and Blake Maynard 1 2-2 4. Totals: 30(8) 10-12 94.

Betsy Layne (72) – Carter Parsons 0(2) 1-2 7; Tanner Hall 5 3-4 13; Cameron Pente 0(1) 2-3 5; Andrew Kidd 11 10-14 32; Tanner 1 2-2 4; Brayden Hall 1(1) 1-2 6; Isaiah Alle 1 0-0 2; and Grayson Hall 0(1) 0-0 3. Totals: 19(5)19-27 72.

PHS 73, MC 62

The highly anticipated clash of the defending 15th Region All “A” 2023 champion Martin County and Pikeville unfolded Sunday, with Pikeville coming out on top 73-62.

Despite challenging weather and road conditions a confident Martin County crowd gathered at Appalachian Wireless Arena to support the Cardinals in their bid for a second straight title.

The first quarter proved to be a stumbling block, as well as the difference in the game for the Cardinals. Facing a physical team and struggling to find offensive momentum, the Cardinals fell behind early and never led in the game.

Eli Johnson’s three treys in the first quarter ignited Pikeville to an 18-10 lead, setting the tone.

In the second quarter, both teams played evenly, each scoring 13 points.

The Cardinals, playing without senior point guard Drey Duff, struggled to get into an offensive flow in the first half. They trailed 31-23 at the half.

Jacob Sturgell scored with 7:42 showing on the clock in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 31-25. Devan Maynard rebounded and got an offensive putback at 6:51 to make it 33-27.

With 6:05 to go in the quarter Johnson got a technical foul for pushing Martin County junior Peyton Davis. With his third foul, Johnson took a seat on the bench while Hale knocked down both free throws for the Cards to close the gap to 35-29.

Martin County had difficulty containing Charlie Fritzer down low, allowing him to score 10 third-quarter points and 19 points after three quarters. The Cards trailed 54-43 at the end of the third.

Davis scored three treys in the fourth quarter to fuel a Martin County comeback that cut the deficit to 68-62 with 1:49 remaining in the game. The Cardinals fought to take the lead but could not bridge the gap. With 39 seconds left, a controversial no-call on Sturgell’s drive down the lane led to a technical foul on Coach Jason James. Pikeville went on to secure the championship.

Sturgell and Hale each scored 17 points to lead Martin County. Davis followed with 13, McKenzie scored six, Bryson Dials five and Devan Maynard four.

Sturgell was named Community Trust Bank Player of the Game.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

MC (10-8)…..10 13 20 19 – 62

PK (10-3)…..18 13 23 19 – 73

Scoring:

Martin County (62) – Luke Hale 4 9-9 17; Brayden McKenzie 1 4-6 6; Jacob Sturgell 6 5-6 17; Devin Maynard 2 0-0 4; Peyton Davis 1(3) 2-2 13; and Bryson Dials 1(1) 0-0 5. Totals: 15(4) 20-23 62.

Pikeville (73) – Eli Johnson 0(4) 1-2 13; Josh Hughes 1 2-2 4; Heath Jarrell 0(3) 3-4 12; Charlie Fitzer 13 1-2 27; Carter Hurley 3-3-4 9; and Ian Onkst 1(1) 3-4 8. Totals: 18(8) 13-18 73.

Martin County’s next three games will be on the road. The Cardinals travel Friday to Paintsville and Tuesday to Magoffin County for 7:30 p.m. tipoffs each night. On Feb. 3, the Cardinals play Tug Valley in the Hatfield-McCoy Shootout at the Williamson Fieldhouse at 8:30 p.m. Martin County will return to the home gym Feb. 5 to host Magoffin County and Feb. 6 when Knott County Central visits. Both of those games are set for 7:30 p.m.